Though the holiday season seems to speed up every year, some companies are standing strong against the rush. But we can do more.
Costco, GameStop and Lowe’s are among the stores that will not be open this Thanksgiving.
Black Friday grows every year, and the starting time keeps creeping into the daylight hours. Common decency would dictate closing everything and letting workers enjoy the holiday with their friends or ?families.
But our consumer instincts love a good deal, and if that means forsaking good food and the company of loved ones, we’ll stand in line for hours.
Thanksgiving isn’t always fun. Locking family members in one house tends to bring out some underlying tensions. One awkward uncle can ruin the night, and when everyone’s nerves are frayed because the turkey is taking too long, things can get heated.
Still, your family is important, even when they’re fighting. It forces you to confront differences and forgive and move forward. Strife is a part of life, and a family meal is a good learning tool.
In a time when we’re angry with so many corporations for exploiting loopholes and general bad behavior, a little moral goodness is appreciated.
But it’s not just Thanksgiving. It’s our whole holiday ?culture.
Some stores whip out Christmas trees before Halloween even begins, and we eat it up. We rush to the next big event without hesitation.
My guess is we sprint from holiday to holiday to ride some sort of jolly, joyful high. We feel stressed or bitter and think the best release is a jolt of holiday cheer.
Holidays give warmth and comfort, so the faster and longer we experience them, the better our lives become.
But that’s not true.
Holidays are only special because they’re short. If every day were Christmas, the magic would evaporate. And it already does. Seeing tinsel and lights in stores three months ahead doesn’t make me ?excited, just exasperated.
It’s great that these companies put their feet down. But we can do better. We can stop perpetually getting ready for the holidays and let them ?happen naturally.
Keep each celebration in its designated month. Stop the Black Friday blitz and let workers enjoy the season like ?everyone else.
Ditch the deals for deeper connections.
Our holidays should be special moments. Let’s keep them for longer.
sckroll@umail.iu.edu
